This invention relates to a dental occluding instrument, and move particularly to a fixing device for controllably fixing a pair of models for the upper and lower jaws to a dental occluding instrument.
Dental occluding instruments are required to accurately reproduce both the anatomical stationariness and physiological functional movements on an instrument other than the oral cavity. This results in the necessity of producing dental occluding instruments with the highest accuracy. Further it is necessary to fixedly secure the models for the jaws to dental occluding instruments in a simple, rapid and accurate manner.
In order to fixedly secure the models for the upper and lower jaws to conventional dental occluding instruments, a bonding agent such as plaster, an adhesive, wax or the like is first poured in between each of the models and a base plate thereof fixed on one supporting surface of the dental occluding instruments. Then, before the bonding agent, for example, plaster, is hardened, either or both of the models for the jaws are or have been moved in any direction or directions to be put in their occlusal positions. Thereafter the gypsum is left to be hardened and to fix the models to the respective base plates. Such conventional dental occluding instruments are disadvantageous in that it is difficult to fix the models for the jaws in their accurate positions because the plaster contracts upon its hardening and considerable time passes until the plaster is hardened. Therefore the job efficiency is difficult to be increased. Also, to re-position either or both of the models for the jaws it is necessary to repeat the process as above-described starting with the first step after the removal of all the bonding agent.
In addition, if the bonding agent is been fully removed from the particular dental occluding instrument, then it is difficult to precisely position new models for the jaws in the same occluding instrument. Further, with dental occluding instruments left with the bonding agent sticking thereto, there is a decrease in accuracy.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to eliminate the disadvantges of the prior art practice as above-described.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved dental occluding instrument for simply and rapidly holding models for the jaws at their desired positions and for easily re-positioning them.